Many Americans travel to Mexico annually, and some Flucos may be planning on going there or the upcoming spring break, April 4-12. But according to Fox News, AAA and the U.S. State Department are warning Americans to exercise caution this spring if you’re traveling to parts of Mexico. On March 13, Fox News noted, “The State Department classifies Mexico at a Level 2 ‘exercise increased caution’ because of terrorism, crime and kidnapping threats.

What’s Behind the Level 2 Warning

Things in Mexico took a dangerous turn in Mexico on Feb. 22, when the CJNG (Jalisco New Generation Cartel) leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as “El Mencho,” was killed in a joint U.S.-Mexico operation. The CJNG has been terrorizing cities all over Mexico, including Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara, Tijuana, and many more cities from which they have been trafficking illegal substances.

As a result of El Mencho’s death, many cartel members broke out in violence, setting cars and even a Costco on fire. This affected many tourists in the state of Jalisco for a week or more, as major airlines, like United Airlines, banned all flights to Puerto Vallarta and to Guadalajara. Foreign tourists, including Americans, were trapped in their hotels. Even weeks later, it is still very dangerous in some parts of Mexico, hence the State Department warning.

The History of the Mexican Cartels

Both the Mexican and U.S. governments have always wanted to take out major cartel bosses around Mexico. Many attempts have been unsuccessful, although this time was different. Numerous news outlets have said they tracked down El Mencho through the texts between him and his girlfriend, and used the opportunity to take him out.

Mexico has been infested with drug cartels since the early 1920’s. Cartels are large-scale drug gangs that control all of the illegal products that are moved around the Americas. All of the cartels sell illegal substances like fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, and marijuana; they also sell illegal weapons that have been smuggled into Mexico or stolen, like semiautomatic and automatic weapons and tactical equipment. There are a lot of cartels all around Central America. These cartels are heavily weaponized with armed trucks, tanks, and aircraft.

In Mexico, there are the CJNG and the Sinaloa Cartel, two of the most well-known cartels that control a very large percentage of the drug trafficking all around the world. These two are the most competitive and strongest cartels; they compete against each other to have the most control over all of the drugs.

The Sinaloa Cartel is based in Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico. They have 4 leaders of this cartel. Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar, Ovidio Guzman Lopez, Ismael Zambada Garcia, and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar Known as “Los Chapitos,” are the most wanted of the crew and have heavy security around them at all times. This cartel started trafficking drugs around the 1960’s. However, the drug smuggling crew solidified as an organization in the 1990s following the breakup of the Guadalajara Cartel.

Their fierce cartel rival CJNG, is just as powerful a cartel as the Sinaloa Cartel. The CJNG has one of the most militarized well-trained cartel groups called the “Grupo Elite,” which translates to elite group. This group is one of the most powerful in the CJNG. They are known for their high-impact operations and often show their military-grade weapons.